Girls' name · since 1886
Sylva
Sylva has 890 recorded births since 1886 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1919 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8,138 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,970 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 890
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sylva currently ranks #11970 among girls' names in America, with 890 babies recorded since 1886.
Sylva has 890 recorded births among girls since 1886, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11970 as of the latest data, more common than 31% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1886 to 2025.
- #8,138 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #11,970 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 890 born since 1886
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sylva ranks #8,138 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #11,970 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 890 born since 1886, peaking in the 1920s.
- #8,138 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #11,970 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 890
- born since 1886
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sylva's 890 recorded births place it above 88.75% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by Arkansas.
How Sylva compares
890 Top 34% higher than 66% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sylva's all-time total is 137% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sylva | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 890 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 31 | 21 | 19,840 |
Sylva's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sylva's full recorded timeline at 1925, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1890, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1919 peak of 31 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sylva popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1886–2025
- Peak year (1919)
- 31
- Annual births at peak, across 140 years of records
Sylva popularity over time - boys
18 total births recorded since 1918 (Sylva as boys' name)
Sylva by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (216 births, 24% of the file).
1920s was Sylva's strongest decade.
216 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Sylva births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 14
1880s
14 births
- 1890s 73
1890s
73 births
- 1900s
1900s
95 births
- 1910s
1910s
210 births
- 1920s
1920s
216 births
- 1930s
1930s
136 births
- 1940s 60
1940s
60 births
- 1950s 31
1950s
31 births
- 1960s 26
1960s
26 births
- 1970s 10
1970s
10 births
- 1980s 7
1980s
7 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
- 2020s 7
2020s
7 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 216 births (24% of all-time use).
How Sylva compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sylva's total volume
Sylva by state
Where Sylva concentrates geographically, total births since 1886
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sylva? ▼
Where does Sylva sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sylva most popular? ▼
Where is Sylva most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sylva been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sylva? ▼
What to do with Sylva's data
- Sylva's decade-level peak was the 1920s (216 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Arkansas records the most Sylvas (5 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Arkansas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sylva
Nearby Names Like Sylva
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sylva
Compare Sylva side by side: Sylva vs Sylvia Sylva vs Sylvie Sylva vs Sylvana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sylva
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sylva: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1919)
Similar record span (~139 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1886–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sylva draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.